How to Predict Whether Your Significant Other Is a Cheater

Wouldn't it be nice to know if your significant other were predisposed to cheating before you engaged in a relationship with him or her? Well, now you can, so long as you trust researchers. People with sexual performance anxiety are more likely to cheat on their partners, finds a study in the journal of Archives of Sexual Behaviour. And this isn't the only trait which corresponds with extramarital affairs.

If your man or woman has issues in the bedroom, apparently it's relatively likely they're getting it somewhere else (although, for women, relationship quality is really the big factor). But, unfortunately for women, the other side of the coin also predicts infidelity. Men who are easily sexually aroused are also more likely to wander, the study finds. You need to find that man who can get it up, but not all the time.

Even if you haven't yet slept with your partner, other traits have been linked to cheating. Risk-takers (surprise-surprise) sneak around, the study finds. Extroverts, also known as, big flirts, cheat, a European Journal of Personality study found. Grouches--the Woody Allen types--tend to taste the forbidden fruit: Low agreeableness, low conscientiousness and neuroticism were all predictors of infidelity. Even the way you connect with your parents can predict how you'll act in a relationship. Those with attachment issues as a child also grow up to have attachment issues with their lovers, a University of Montreal study showed.

So next time you pick a partner, think to yourself: are they the cheating type? Maybe Anthony Weiner, an extroverted politician, took those photos because he was easily aroused, but not with his wife, and he just wanted to prove it could happen. Is that something your significant other might do?

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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